101WKQX’s takeover of the Aragon Ballroom for their latest installment of their annual The Nights We Stole Christmas concert series was an epic demonstration of how well the current state of Rock/Alternative music is faring these days. We were present for Night 2, which consisted of Albert Hammond Jr, grandson, and a Smashing Pumpkins consisting of founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin.
I was present to capture the best my lens could capture, and you can see for yourself below.
Personally, this show covered all the bases for me. Sure, I’m a Strokes stan till I die, but it’s deserved to be mentioned that AHJ has a genuinely good solo catalog and I appreciate that music on its own. His live set was solid, and it was cool to look around and see the generation of folks that were noticeably mainly there to see Billy Corgan and company jamming along. Grandson’s socially-conscious tunes was a shift in pace, delivering big statements that helped get the blood running.
The main event of course was the return of the Smashing Pumpkins to the iconic Uptown venue.
Photo credit: Oscar Oliva Jr / Pursuit Of Dopeness
